Cache memories often are utilized in processing systems to store information such as operand data or instruction data to be utilized by a processor or to be subsequently stored in more permanent memory, such as system memory or a hard disk. In the event of a read operation or a write operation resulting from the execution of an instruction, a copy of the data read from memory or the data to be written to memory is provided to the cache for potential storage. The cache, in turn, determines whether to allocate a cache line for storage of the supplied data based on the cache line allocation policy for the memory address or memory region that is associated with the read operation or write operation. Typically, a cache implements a default cache line allocation policy for a particular memory address or memory region without regard to the particular characteristics or circumstances of the instruction being executed. However, the default cache line allocation policy may not be the most appropriate policy for a given application or instruction sequence. Accordingly, an improved technique for configuring cache allocations in a cache would be advantageous.